Kaiti, Elgin police move to city base

STAFF RELOCATED: Police previously based at the Kaiti community policing centre (pictured) will be based at the central city police from now on. But they will still work out of the Kaiti building from time to time. Picture by Liam Clayton

STAFF previously based at the Kaiti policing centre will in future be housed at the central city police station and, while the Kaiti centre will be open as often, it is not going to permanently close.

An officer previously based out of Te Wananga o Aotearoa in Childers Road will also be moved to the main city police station.

“We are restructuring our crime prevention teams so staff can work more collaboratively with their colleagues,” said area police commander Inspector Sam Aberahama.

“The Kaiti neighbourhood policing team (NPT) is being relocated but not disbanded or absorbed into other work groups.

“Although working from the Gisborne station, the NPT remains a distinct work group with a specific mandate to the Kaiti community.”

Insp Aberahama said moving the Kaiti staff and the officer located at the wananga “will help the team work more closely with their colleagues from other prevention teams”.

“Those other areas include youth, family investigation team, community iwi liaison and alcohol harm officers.

“This will enable us to focus more collaboratively on working with whanau across family harm.”

Insp Aberahama said the role of the Kaiti NPT working with the community will remain unchanged.

“The commitments to schools in the area also remains unchanged — for example, the leadership programme at Waikirikiri, Te Wharau and Kaiti school continues, as does the staff commitment to the Atawhai programme at Illminster Intermediate.

“The work with victims and locations of interest continues.”

Insp Aberahama said there would be more staff working in the Kaiti area, with a new school community officer working with Kaiti NPT dedicated to schools within the Kaiti community.

“The Kaiti NPT is led by a sergeant plus five constables and they will continue to be active and visible members of the Kaiti community.

“Their former Kaiti community base will remain available for community meetings and the NPT staff will work from there from time to time.”

The doors of the Kaiti centre have historically been open when police staff were on site and not out in the community.

“We recently completed a survey of the numbers of community visiting the station and for what purpose,” Insp Aberahama said.

“It is proposed that a door phone will be attached to the exterior of the Kaiti base so that members of the public will have direct access to police when no one is on site.”

Insp Aberahama said the Kaiti neighbourhood policing team and the community constable in Elgin had built up immense trust and confidence with their communities.

“Our new approach will see more police in those communities, not less.”